Obligations (1950)

[Applause] h [Music] introducing Mr Thaddius K Smith a man with a problem he's always losing something or so he says somebody is always putting things where he can't find them why right this morning he put an important contract on his desk along with his hat his wife's unpaid bills some new shoelaces and the morning paper why isn't that contract there wants to know or maybe it is look again now young lady where is that contract on the desk impossible see it's not there maybe you filed it in the waste basket this is outrageous if that contract isn't in the mail before o00 this concern will lose the biggest order it ever had well that's better must have gotten mixed up yes something certainly is mixed up and it's thus Smith if you don't believe it look at this homey little place you don't need three guesses to tell you that this is where the family of Thaddius K Smith lives toti outl legal difficulties between the couple the weather forecast for Los anges and vicinity scattered high cloudiness today tonight and Thursday with early morning fog near the coast slightly warmer today with a high near 80 and that is the news till now I'll return at 6:00 this evening you'd better hurry up Margie you'll be late for school all right mother in a minute Mary Mary where on Earth is my gray suit your gray suit isn't it at the cleaners I thought you took it there yourself certainly I took it there myself but that was last week you mean to tell me no one's gone to get it for me oh well I'll wear my brown one mother have you seen my sweater uh it's right there on that chair where well right here will you hand it to me oh for heaven's sakes take it thank you hey Mom I can't find m my hair oil have you seen it what did you say hair oil I can't find it it was on the top of your Bureau yesterday isn't it there now no and I wish people had stopped oh never mind I found it isn't breakfast ready yet in a minute dear no did anybody remember to feed the dog no wonder Mr Smith is in a turmoil most of the time now we're going to look in on their neighbors you see this is a real home belonging to the entire family where every member has a pride of ownership good morning my but this is a welcome relief this young lady is getting ready for school too but she has her day well planned she arises in time to straighten up her room hang up her clothes and be at breakfast on schedule taking care of her room is one of her obligations in this household Junior has already completed his household chores for the morning so he can spend some time on his hobby notice how his equipment is carefully kept he won't be searching for a lost spool or hook there are strict orders in this house for no one to touch this desk and those orders are respected by all yes this looks like a pretty good way to start things out in the morning no rush no fussing every member of the family has fulfilled his or her obligations and each one will go out to the day's work better able to cope with its problems this is a good time to remind you that you owe another obligation to your health a good breakfast is the proper foundation for the activities of a busy day and there's no worry about lunch either CIS takes care of that department making the lunch the night before it gives her a chance to practice some of the ideas she gets in her homemaking classes yes they're on their way with a good breakfast and what's more important a good disposition we have seen this family start the day now let's see what happens after school H only 4:00 and he's doing tonight's homework what's wrong with these two anyway do they they have to study all afternoon and evening no they just want to hear a special broadcast tonight so they're hard at work each in his or her room no outside interference and no radio now this boy and girl both consider their schoolwork one of their most important obligations to themselves and their family now now that their homework is finished and the dinner dish is put away this boy and girl have ample time to enjoy their favorite programs let me repeat they are enjoying the program mother and father are enjoying a bridge game with some friends one of the principal rules in this house is that a radio or phonograph is heard only in the room in which it is played so that only those who wish to listen may do so [Music] well it looks like that's all for tonight forget something but it's not all for sis she's appointed herself chairman of the refreshment committee this is Mother's and Father's night and daughter wants to help them enjoy it also daughter feels it is one of her obligations to be gracious to her parents friends she's glad to help Mother entertain because mother never fails to help her play Hostess to her friends this is another of brother's obligations and Pleasures he takes pride in keeping the car clean and shining and in return he gets to use it for certain occasions this is a family car in every sense of the word word so the men of the family do their best to keep it looking like new and the women of the family don't Sher their cleaning tasks [Applause] either yes this is a busy day for all concerned brother shows his ability as a gardener here's another Gardener this particular patch belongs to sis and to nobody else she Prides herself on her Green Thumb which in Garden talk means she's a success at growing things it looks like everything is ready for the weekend since these young people have shared in the work and responsibilities of the house they can also share in the pleasure pleasures of entertaining their friends say that's a shame and she's late for a tennis date too how about it brother will you lend her your racket you will that's the kind of a brother to have sharing personal belongings in this family is a common practice because every member feels an obligation as a borrower to the lender yes CIS takes care of things loan to her she knows that brother would have to pay for a restringing job out of his allowance and she's going to save him every dime she can and speaking of money this family has worked out a program that should please any boy and girl and at the same time make better citizens out of them the share of family money given to each one for personal use is divided into three parts some to save for saving sake and there is a steady record of deposits some to save for something they want a new sweater for her wardrobe perhaps for brother a new trout rod then there is some left to spend for amusement the usual sodas and cokes and picture shows it's up to brother and sister to decide how much they will allocate for each purpose they manage their own funds and in doing so learn the value of money in this family the members have learned to live with each other by understanding their obligations and fulfilling them they cooperate by making each other's chores as light as possible they are able to enjoy life more because they have more time for enjoyment and the feeling that tasks assigned to them have been accomplished they are alert to the problems which confront all of us and they will be prepared to cope with each problem as it arises they have a sense of security because they understand the value of money and other material things assigned to their care this boy and girl are going to be well equipped when the time comes to take their places as worthy members of adult Society how about going back over what we've seen our goal is obviously to avoid becoming another case like Mr Smith a man whose present sad condition could have been avoided if he had learned when young how to organize his life how to handle his obligations a family in a state of Perpetual chaos is really just a family which isn't living up to its own responsib abilities what you can do to avoid turning out to be like the Smiths is not so hard learn to take care of your own possessions keep your own room neat clean habitable it's an obligation you owe your family and yourself learn to get up in the morning morning early enough to have a pleasant satisfactory meal before the day begins so you'll start off in good health and good spirits and while we're at it we may as well remind you that you'll live most of your life to some sort of a schedule if you learn to keep that schedule so that it doesn't get ahead of you you won't mind living by the clock one of your Chief obligations is to pay close attention to your studies during school years presumably your parents send you to school to get everything possible out of the experience not merely to comply with the law it's your obligation to make the most of school now it will reward you well when you're earning your own living the problem of allocating radio and and television time can get to be a sore point with any family to avoid trouble do your chores and homework first then take time off for your favorite programs and when you're listening remember keep it to yourself don't let it bother others when mother and dad entertain remember that you share the role of host it's your home too and they want you to be part of the pride they feel in it meet their guests graciously speaking of pride in your home don't wait to be reminded that the yard needs cleaning up after all if you're going to entertain you'll want your home to look its best your friends won't mind if your home is modest but they will if it's unkempt that's a condition you can change anytime you must an emergency borrow the possessions of some other member of the family make sure you take good care of them and return them on time it's an obligation you owe to their owners don't you think one of your principal obligations is to systematize your saving so that when you see something you really need or very much want you won't have to beg dad for it or borrow on next week's allowance learning to take care of family obligations in early years is easy after all it's only a matter of getting into a pattern of good living habits once they become habits you need worry about them take care of your obligations now and when you meet the respons responsibilities of adult life you'll find that they will take care of you